Reverse Reasoning
by Encendrel
Summary: It was like a fairy tale, except she was no princess and there was no way he could be a knight. A strange deal is made and suddenly the world cannot be repaired. Or: In Which Shintaro and Mary Trade Lives.


**I don't own the Kagerou Project.**

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><p>A black haired boy, around 13, with dead eyes, walks through the woods.<p>

_Ah, I'm so tired..._

He held all the answers to his questions in his brain, but even so...

_Why did it have to be me that was born? Why can't someone else take my place? Even if I disappear today, the world will keep turning, won't it?_

_Yes...  
><em>

_I only want to disappear..._

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><p>A white-haired girl poured herself some tea.<p>

"Hmm... I've read this book so many times already!" Taking a sip of her tea, she opened it to a bookmarked page and read contently.

Then, a knock on the door.

"...eh?"_  
><em>

It wasn't a particularly loud knock, nor a persistent one. The person knocking seemed to have stopped doing so soon after.

_Nobody's come by in forever, though! Why..._

She rushed around the house, trying to figure out what to do.

What if it was like one of those people who attacked her mom?

No... She just wouldn't let them know she was a monster then! Yes, yes, that could work. She shut her eyes tight and opened the door.

"...What are you doing?" An unwaveringly bored voice. The person is a boy in a black hoodie, with dead-looking eyes and a tired slouch.

"Ah- Don't look at my eyes, you'll turn to stone-!" She felt a shaky hand on her shoulder. She realized that she had messed up the plan, but the boy was talking.

"If I turn to stone, that's fine. I'm fine with disappearing, too."

That wasn't right.

In the stories, everyone wanted to stay alive! They considered life important and wanted to be important!

So why was this stranger...

"Th-that's not right!" She squeaked, running over to the book she was reading. She shoved it into his hands, though he was sort of staring at her quizzically. "Living is important! If not, why are monsters so hated in these stories?"

The boy looked at the book. He flipped through it briefly.

"Fairy tales... Not everyone can be a hero or monster, you know? I'm only a boy. By the way, I'm Kisaragi Shintaro. Who're you and why do you live in the middle of nowhere?"

"M-Mary."

It was the start of a beautiful friendship... Well, not really.

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><p>Shintaro laid on the floor of Mary's house and read a book as she bombarded him with questions.<p>

What was the outside world like? What's a school? What's a library for?

Things like that. Shintaro didn't understand why people were so interested in those novelties. He was perfectly content with staying in the middle of nowhere.

But then- "Doesn't your family miss you?"

Shintaro had an unreadable expression. But then, "No, they won't. They'll definitely move on."

Mary frowned. "But that's not right! Family should care for each other!" Like the way her mother had...

Shintaro sighed. "My dad died saving my sister. Yet, no one is still grieving for him. People will stop grieving for me, too."

Mary was silent. However, she got remarkably angry, considering how optimistic she was earlier. How could this person live a life and hate it so much when she couldn't even leave her house?

"How can you say that!? There's a whole world to see and you're just going to waste the rest of yours like that? Your family will still remember you, and you're just going to make them sad?" She started to tear up. "I can't even- sniff- leave the house because p-hiccup-people will call me a monster, and-and-"

Shintaro shuffled awkwardly. He hadn't meant to make the girl cry. He'd just stated what he'd wanted-

_What he'd wanted..._

"Hey, Mary. How about this? You can live my life for me, and I'll be the monster for you."

She hiccuped again, before looking at him hopefully. "Re-really?"

He smiled. "Yep!" He was pleased with his solution. He would evaluate it a 3/10.

She nodded. Unknowingly, the 'Power to Meet Eyes' activated and Shintaro's eyes turned a burning red.

He sat up, then stood up. Holding his hand out for his one-time friend, he spoke: "The door's right there."

"Will I ever see you again?" Mary tilted her head. Shintaro shook his head.

"I really doubt it."

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><p><em>Mary's Diary, One Week after leaving home<em>

_Hello, diary. This is Kisaragi Mary writing to you once more._

_A boy came to my house! He had a weird opinion of everything, though... He stayed for about a week, before he offered to let me live in his place. I wonder what he's doing now? He seemed like a bum, so I bet he's just sleeping.  
><em>

_Guess what? I'm starting to grow fast! I measured an inch taller than last week!_

_My new sister, Momo, welcomed me like I'd been her older sister forever! It's really weird. I guess our positions really did change..._

_I won't be writing to you for a while, so please experience the fun times with me._

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><p>Shintaro's monologue: (Two Years Later)<p>

So. Eternal oblivion is fun. I wake up in the morning, read books, and go back to sleep.

This is a kind of 'paradise'. I wonder if Mary is enjoying her new life as much as I am mine?

I'd wanted to disappear, and I got just that-wait. Someone's knocking at the door. I don't really want to welcome him, but...

I suppose there's nothing wrong with just one conversation.

"Hello, I'm Kozakura Shintaro. Who're you?" He stated blandly.

"Seto Kousuke."

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><p><strong>Okay. Basically, Shintaro meets Mary when he's still really depressed.<strong>

**Mary wants to see the outside world and have friends.**

**Shintaro wants to disappear from the world and not deal with anyone.**

**Mary is the mortal Medusa who is the older sister (by two years) of Kisaragi Momo. Mary still has control over the snakes, by the way, as well as paralysis.**

**Shintaro is the immortal human who hikiNEETs for fun in his house in the middle of no where. **Shintaro has the 'Switching Eyes', which changes the circumstances of different people.****

**I... don't know what I was thinking.**


End file.
